Compulsive Gambling and

More than 5 million Americans are pathological, compulsive and problem gamblers, and another 15 million are at risk of becoming just like them. A common definition of problem gambling is: a progressive disorder characterized by a continuous or periodic loss of control over gambling and irrational thinking and behavior despite the consequences. When gambling interferes with any one's life, it can be categorize as an addiction or disease, just like alcohol and drug addiction is categorize as a disease.

A study conducted for the National Gambling Impact Study Commission found that 20 million American have or could develop gambling problems. Also they have estimated those 1.8 million American adults as well as up to 1.1 million American adolescents age 12 through 17 engage in severe "pathological" gambling each year. As legalize gambling has become more common in the United States; problems have sprung up as well. That negative influence is becoming more apparent as gambling is more widely available. It is becoming increasingly easy to gamble in the United States particularly in the last 10 years, and problems with gambling are much more common now than they ever were. Studies show that for every dollar gambling produces for a regional economy, three dollars are lost because of the economic and social cost of gambling. The study has also said that if the government legalizes more gambling, taxpayers will lose money, whether they gamble or not. The gambling industry believes it is just selling an innocent form of family entertainment, but they don't mention how much the players lose or how gambling encourages addictive behavior or the enormous costs it creates for the rest of society. It has been said that, gamblers with higher counts of gambling symptoms will have higher rates of problem. There many consequences associated with compulsive, pathological and problem gamblers. Examples of such...

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

...alcohol, sex, eating, or gambling addictions. One might ask the question, is one addiction more serious than another or are all addictions equally destructive? In particular, is an addiction such as gambling as serious as an addiction to drugs or alcohol? Research suggests a gambling addiction is less severe than a drug or alcohol addiction because drug or alcohol addictions are psychological and physical, can cause other addictions, can result directly in deaths, and can require medical intervention.
“Pathological gambling is an impulse-control disorder that results in disruptions of personal, family, and vocational activities” (Ledgerwood). Gambling is a “prevalent recreational behavior”(Potenza). This means gambling is an activity many people partake in around the world. “Eighty percent of Americans participate in some form of gambling”(Chadwick), but only “5% of adults have been estimated to experience problems with gambling”(Potenza). The most severe form of gambling is called pathological gambling, and it is recognized as a mental health condition. Pathological gambling is characterized by a “persistent mal­adaptive pattern of gambling behavior”(Grant). Core components of addictions have been proposed to include “continued engagement in a behavior despite adverse consequences, diminished...

...Introduction
Gambling is deeply rooted in American culture (Findlay, 1986). In precolonial times, the proceeds from lotteries authorized by the ruling English monarchy were used to subsidize explorations to, and settlements within, the New World (Ezell, 1960). As colonial America matured, government and private lotteries, as well as social gambling, were common. The colonial era of gambling ended with the spread of Jacksonian morality, aided by numerous well-publicized scandals. Civil War reconstruction introduced a second era of gambling, as lotteries were employed as a form of voluntary taxation to rebuild the wartorn South (Rose, 1998; Ezell, 1977). Gambling continued to spread until 1890, when a scandal involving the Louisiana lottery resulted in federal legislation that effectively banned state lotteries and prohibited other forms of gambling for nearly 70 years (Rose, 1998; Ezell, 1977).
The United States is now in the midst of a third era of widespread legalized gambling, which began in 1931 when Nevada relegalized casinos (Rose, 1986, 1995). Initially, Americans in this era limited legal gambling opportunities to the Nevada casinos, charitable bingo, and pari-mutuel gambling, such as horse and dog track racing. Popular forms of illegal gambling, such as offtrack betting, back room casino games, and numbers, were associated...

...
The text states that the one problem in gambling has visibly endured is known as problem gambling. Government officials have long demanded a solution from gaming operators to address this major issue. Too many issues go along with problem gambling such as crime, family and work problems, and financial damage. Fortunately, the gaming industry as a whole has sought to be proactive in combatting the issue. They feared being viewed in the same light as the tobacco or firearm industry by ignoring major problems with their products. Are the steps that they have taken enough, or is gambling in general a major threat to society that should be avoided?
The American Psychiatric Association refers to problem gambling as pathological gambling. There are generally speaking two different types of problem gamblers; action problem gamblers and escape problem gamblers. Gambling addiction is just as valid of an illness as addiction to alcohol or drugs. Its prevalence is linked directly to the ease of access of gambling in our society. However, just like drugs and alcohol, only a small percentage of the population is prone to this illness. Gambling addicts in general either lose all of their money, accumulate massive debt, file for bankruptcy, and in the worst cases commit suicide because they are hopeless.
What steps has the gaming industry taken...

...Why Gambling Should be Illegal
By amerten, Hopedale, MA
More by this author
Email me when amerten contributes work
Image Credit: Andy G., Phoenix, AZ
Did you know that 40% of all problem gamblers started gambling before they were seventeen? Or that problem gambling causes the most suicides out of all the recognized addictions? Even with these facts, the most startling truth is that not one federal dollar, out of the billions collected in gambling taxes, has been spent to treat or help problem gamblers. Gambling is the activity or practice of playing at a game of chance for money or other stakes. Activities that are considered gambling are sports and race bets, lotteries, games like blackjack and poker, and casino games like slots and roulette. Bingo and raffles are technically gambling, but there are no major concerns about them, so they are not included here. Gambling has been legalized by many states, but just because it is does not make it right. Even though gambling is legal, it should not be because of its harmful economic, governmental, and social effects.
There are many detrimental economic effects of gambling, but there are two major ones: it siphons money from other industries, and states attempt to use lotteries to boost income. Gambling takes money from consumers that would otherwise be spent in...

...What is Gambling Addiction?
While it may appear that addictions are solely pleasure-seeking behaviors, the roots of addiction can also be traced to a wish to suppress or avoid some kind of emotional pain.
In the broadest sense, addictive or pathological gambling is gambling behavior which causes disruptions in any major area of life: psychological, physical, social or vocational. Addictive gambling is sometimes referred to as the "hidden illness," because there are no visible physical symptoms. The American Psychological Association classifies compulsivegambling as a mental health disorder of impulse control. It is a chronic and progressive disease that is both diagnosable and treatable. About 2 to 4 percent of Americans have an active gambling problem.
Compulsivegambling can be categorized into two types: action gambling and escape gambling.
* In action gambling, the gambler is addicted to the thrill of risk-taking as his or her substance of choice, much in the same way that a cocaine addict is hooked on cocaine. The action itself becomes the drug. Action gamblers typically engage in games with other players, since part of the adrenaline rush is in the appearance or identity as a winner.
* Escape gambling occurs when the gambler seeks to blot out some discomforting feelings or...

...Inside a Pathological Gamblers Mind
Abstract: Few studies have explored the relationship between gambling and health status. Both compulsive and pathological gambling are disorders related to obsession-compulsive disorder. The data supports the notion that gambling does affect with non-gambling health problems. The purpose of this article is to provide the information between gambling behaviors and substance use disorders, health associations, screening and treatment options for problem and pathological gambling. Pathological gambling is an addictive and stress proposing disorder. More research is needed to investigate directly the biological and health relations associated with the different types of gambling behaviors and to define the role for doctors or therapists in the prevention and treatment of problem and pathological gambling.
There are many types of gambling that people indulge in today. People of all ages have been seduced by gambling. Gambling is done every day, so as it continues to grow, so does the debt of the American people. Attractions such as online casinos with jackpots equivalent to ten years salary and simple sports booking, makes it more common today than it was yesterday. Gambling is hard to resist because it...

...Is Gambling a Social Problem?
​Gambling is an act of playing for stakes in the hope of winning. It also involves a significant risk as the material good (usually money) wagered in the game may be lost if the player does not win. Common forms of gambling include cockfighting (which usually results in the death of one or both roosters), casinos (which has become a profitable business), slot machines (convenient for those who want to play individually), bookmaking (often used for predicting the winners of sports competitions), and caracruz (simplest form of gambling which has existed since ancient history). There is an ongoing debate among social scientists, psychologists, business lobby groups, and others on the benefits and dangers of gambling. Some anti-gambling social activists argue that gambling is a serious social problem, while others argue that gambling problem is a problem of certain individuals who suffer from psychological ills and that in certain circumstances gambling on the contrary is a significant source of income (for example, for Native American tribes).
Gambling Is a Social Problem
​Gambling is associated with a range of social issues and thus needs to be designated as a social problem. According to research on the topic, there is a correlation between various social problems and...

...﻿
Gambling Disorder: A Behavioral Addiction
Abstract
Gambling is going to be my main focus for my research paper. I chose this addiction because I feel that everything you hear today is always about drug addictions. I wanted to learn more about a behavioral addiction. My intent for this research is to learn the similarities and differences of physical dependency versus behavioral dependency. Are the impulses the same or are they different. I know that when an addict wants something their first impulse is to do whatever they have to do to get their drug of choice. With gambling, I assume that when they run out of money to gamble with, they will do whatever they have to do to obtain money to gamble with. I am curious to find out the treatments that work for gambling disorder. Is this treatment the same as those who have an addiction to a drug or is it a different approach? Another point I am looking into is the gender. Are male or females more likely to have a gambling addiction? Lastly, is there a dual diagnosis for a behavioral dependency? Do the addicts also have issues with mental disorders such as anxiety or depression? I will be using information from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). I am very eager to learn about this new addiction that has been brought to my attention through research.
Gambling...